Former drilling chief: US ‘on a course to repeat’ Gulf oil spill

WASHINGTON — The United States is “on a course to repeat” the same mistakes that led to the devastating Deepwater Horizon disaster four years ago, a former top offshore drilling regulator warned Thursday.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times, the former Minerals Management Service director, Elizabeth Birnbaum, says the Obama administration “still has not taken key steps . . . to increase drilling safety.”

But 16 months after that self-imposed deadline, Birnbaum and Savitz noted, federal regulators have yet to issue a broad proposal — much less a final suite of mandates — even though blowout preventer manufacturers have since rolled out more powerful designs.

“It’s unfathomable that the administration has failed to act on the (NAE’s) findings,” Birnbaum and Savitz say. “Deep-water drilling continues in the Gulf. New leases are being offered by the government and sold to energy companies each year. Yet the NAE report warned that a blowout in deep water may not be controllable with current technology.”

Interior Department spokeswoman Jessica Kershaw stressed that in response to the spill, “the Obama Administration launched the most aggressive and comprehensive reforms to offshore oil and gas regulation and oversight in U.S. history.”

“The comprehensive reforms, which strengthen requirements for everything from well design, blowout preventer testing and maintenance and workplace safety, to corporate accountability, are helping ensure that the United States can safely and responsibly expand development of its domestic energy resources,” Kershaw said.

Michael Bromwich, a former drilling regulator who lead a post-spill overhaul of the federal agencies that police offshore drilling, said Birnbaum and Savitz gave “short shrift to the enormous strides that were made in the immediate aftermath of the oil spill.”

“Two major rules were enacted and implemented that have undeniably made offshore drilling safer than ever before,” said Bromwich, now a consultant in Washington, D.C. “The enormous organizational changes, barely referred to in the piece, eliminated the conflicts of interest that plagued offshore drilling oversight for years.”

New testing

Although a broader blowout preventer rule is still in the works, the Interior Department moved quickly to impose new requirements for the construction of subsea wells and BOP testing after the disaster. New post-spill rules require the blowout preventers to be independently certified by third parties. Tests of the devices must occur more frequently than before. And some of those tests have to be witnessed by federal regulators.

Bromwich acknowledged that “the government could have moved faster and more forcefully in the last couple of years in implementing the many recommendations made by various organizations, especially on blowout preventers.”

But the risk of another offshore blowout has been substantially reduced, he said. “To suggest that things are largely unchanged from the time of Deepwater Horizon is neither fair nor accurate.”

Employees at National Oilwell Varco work on a lower blowout preventer stack (left) and lower marine riser package (right).

Employees at National Oilwell Varco work on a lower blowout preventer stack (left) and lower marine riser package (right).

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Equipment is housed at National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas. National Oilwell Varco's distribution business is expected to spin off in 2014 to form a company called DistributionNOW. less

Equipment is housed at National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas. National Oilwell Varco's distribution business is expected to spin off in 2014 to form a company called ... more

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Equipment is housed at National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas. National Oilwell Varco's distribution business is expected to spin off in 2014 to form a company called DistributionNOW. less

Equipment is housed at National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas. National Oilwell Varco's distribution business is expected to spin off in 2014 to form a company called ... more

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Equipment is housed at National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas. National Oilwell Varco's distribution business is expected to spin off in 2014 to form a company called DistributionNOW. less

Equipment is housed at National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas. National Oilwell Varco's distribution business is expected to spin off in 2014 to form a company called ... more

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National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas.

National Oilwell Varco's distribution center in La Porte, Texas.

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Employees at National Oilwell Varco.

Employees at National Oilwell Varco.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Dale Johnson, a machinist at National Oilwell Varco, works on a part for a blowout preventer.

Dale Johnson, a machinist at National Oilwell Varco, works on a part for a blowout preventer.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Frank Springett, vice president of engineering of the pressure control group for National Oilwell Varco, talks about the riser joint that connects the blowout preventer subsea to the drilling rig.

Frank Springett, vice president of engineering of the pressure control group for National Oilwell Varco, talks about the riser joint that connects the blowout preventer subsea to the drilling rig.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Frank Springett, vice president of engineering of the pressure control group for National Oilwell Varco, talks about the control panels for a blowout preventer.

Frank Springett, vice president of engineering of the pressure control group for National Oilwell Varco, talks about the control panels for a blowout preventer.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Control panels for a blowout preventers.

Control panels for a blowout preventers.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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A pod that controls the stack to open and close the blowout preventers shown at National Oilwell Varco.

A pod that controls the stack to open and close the blowout preventers shown at National Oilwell Varco.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Frank Springett, vice president of engineering of the pressure control group for National Oilwell Varco, talks about blowout preventers and other items that the company manufactures.

Frank Springett, vice president of engineering of the pressure control group for National Oilwell Varco, talks about blowout preventers and other items that the company manufactures.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Pete Miller, CEO of National Oilwell Varco, talks about blowout preventers and other items that the company manufactures.

Pete Miller, CEO of National Oilwell Varco, talks about blowout preventers and other items that the company manufactures.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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Pete Miller, CEO of National Oilwell Varco, in his office.

Pete Miller, CEO of National Oilwell Varco, in his office.

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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Employees of National Oilwell Varco demonstrate the workings of an oil rig at their Galena Park yard on the Houston Ship Channel, where they outfit rigs for land and sea.

Employees of National Oilwell Varco demonstrate the workings of an oil rig at their Galena Park yard on the Houston Ship Channel, where they outfit rigs for land and sea.

Photo: Eric Kayne / Houston Chronicle

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Employees of National Oilwell Varco demonstrate the workings of an oil rig at their Galena Park yard on the Houston Ship Channel, where they outfit rigs for land and sea.

Employees of National Oilwell Varco demonstrate the workings of an oil rig at their Galena Park yard on the Houston Ship Channel, where they outfit rigs for land and sea.

Photo: Eric Kayne / Houston Chronicle

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A lower blowout preventer stack shown at a National Oilwell Varco facility Houston. NOV is one of the largest manufacturers of this kind of equipment.

A lower blowout preventer stack shown at a National Oilwell Varco facility Houston. NOV is one of the largest manufacturers of this kind of equipment.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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A lower marine riser package, left, and a lower BOP stack shown at a National Oilwell Varco facility in Houston. NOV is one of the largest manufacturers of this kind of equipment.

A lower marine riser package, left, and a lower BOP stack shown at a National Oilwell Varco facility in Houston. NOV is one of the largest manufacturers of this kind of equipment.

Photo: Melissa Phillip / Houston Chronicle

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A TDX 1000 top drive from National Oil Well Varco stands on display during the 2012 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

A TDX 1000 top drive from National Oil Well Varco stands on display during the 2012 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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The NOLA 30,000 psi blow out preventer on display at the National Oilwell Varco booth during the 2012 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

The NOLA 30,000 psi blow out preventer on display at the National Oilwell Varco booth during the 2012 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

Photo: Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

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Pete Miller, CEO of National Oilwell Varco, at the company's Houston office.

Pete Miller, CEO of National Oilwell Varco, at the company's Houston office.

Photo: Nick de la Torre / Houston Chronicle

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National Oilwell Varco employees working on blowout preventer stacks.

National Oilwell Varco employees working on blowout preventer stacks.

Photo: Gary Fountain / for the Houston Chronicle

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National Oilwell Varco employees working on a configurable blowout preventer stack.

National Oilwell Varco employees working on a configurable blowout preventer stack.

Photo: Gary Fountain / for the Houston Chronicle

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Thad Rhine, a National Oilwell Varco employee, making final adjustments to a control pad, before it is tested and installed on a blowout preventer stack.

Thad Rhine, a National Oilwell Varco employee, making final adjustments to a control pad, before it is tested and installed on a blowout preventer stack.

Photo: Gary Fountain / for the Houston Chronicle

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Solenoid housing which will be installed a on blowout preventer control pad at National Oilwell Varco.

Solenoid housing which will be installed a on blowout preventer control pad at National Oilwell Varco.

Photo: Gary Fountain / for the Houston Chronicle

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Ken Rickley, left, and Jacolbe Phillips assembling a double ram blowout preventer at National Oilwell Varco. Ken is a BOP assembly lead man, and Jacolbe is a BOP assembler.

Ken Rickley, left, and Jacolbe Phillips assembling a double ram blowout preventer at National Oilwell Varco. Ken is a BOP assembly lead man, and Jacolbe is a BOP assembler.